Safety valve



Apr. 24, 1923.

- R. E. NEWELL SAFETY VALVE Filed Sept. 1919- WETNEBSES ping positionbut is prevented from Patented Apr. 24, 1923.

UNITE. STATES PATENT orrice.

nonnnm a. NEWELL, or IRWIN, PENNSYLVANIA.

SAFETY VALVE.

Application filed September 20,. 1919. Serial No. 325,206.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT E. NEWELL, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Irwin, in the county of VVestmoreland and State ofvPennsylvania, have made a new and useful Invention in Safety Valves, ofwhichthe following is a specification.

- My invention'relates to safety valves for gas burners and consists ofa device which 1 automatically closes the burner supply valve wheneverthe burner flame is extinguished as by wind, atmospheric. concussion,interruption in pressure or other cause.

My device utilizes a thermostatic member for controllin the supply valveand one of i the objects 0 my invention is to space the thermostaticmember from the burner flame so that the metal in the thermostat willnot be subjected to continuous exposure to the 9 burner flame yet willbe controlled thereby. Another object is to concentrate some of theburner'heat on the thermostat when the gas is ignited so as to make the.thermostat quickly responsive to the ignition. Another.

object is'to enable the spacing of the valve and burner from each otherwithout affecting the efficiency of the automatic features of thedevice.

Briefl the device comprises a valve in which t e plug is normally heldin closed position b a spring. A band surrounds a portion 0 the plug andis adapted to grip the latter to hold it in any desired position. A flatspring tends to hold this band in gripunctioning by a thermostaticmember except when the latter is heated. Manual turning of the plug toopen position accompanied by application "of heat to the thermostaticmember results in an automatic gripping of the plug in open position.Subsequent cessation of the heat causes the thermostat to release thegripping means, whereupon the plu returns toits closed position.

I l 1e detailed description of my device is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a vertical section and viewof the valve with portions ofthestove to which it is applied and theburner controlled by it; Fig. 2 is a front view and partial section ofthe same; Fig. 3 is a section on line 3--3 of Fig. 1 and Fig. 4 is asection on line 4-4: of Fig. 1.

I have shown the device as applied to the side 1 of a gas heater andcontrolling the burner 2. Those parts which project outside ofthe stoveare enclosed by a casing 3. The gas connection .isto the stem 4 whichleads'to burner 2 thru a valve 5 provided with a plug 6. Plug 6 isoperated by a handle 7 and has an integral drum 8. Drum 8 is encircledby a band 9 one end of which i is attached to a fixed pin or lug 10located 'on the valve body; the other end is attached to one arm of abell crank 11. This bell .crank is pivoted to the valve body at 12 andits other arm bears against a flat spring 13 which is attached to thevalve body at a point removed from its contact with the bell crank. Thetendency of spring 13 .is to move bell crank 11 in a clockwise.direction.

An extension 14 on the body aids in attaching the device to the heaterand forms a spaced securing point for a thermostatic member 15 which iscomposed of a strip of metal formed of two or more alternate layers ofmetals having different coefficients of .expansion. The strip is turnedso that the metal having the smallest coefficient of expansion isnearest spring 13. When member 15 is heated, it curves in an areindicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 1.

15 and when the latter is cold and in its nection it is possible tolocate the thermostatic member and the valve independently of eachother. \VhileI have shown'these parts in my preferred construction asbeing adjacent, it would be feasible to have the valve at a point remotefrom the burner and in some applications of my device such a location ofthe valve might be advantageous or necessary. I prefer cable 16 to beflexible which will permit it to beled around intervening parts ifdesired. One end of the cable is threaded and fitted with nuts to permitadjustment.

When member 15 is heated it releases its pull on spring 13 and frees thelatter which A cable 16 connects spring 13 to member actuates bell crank11 so as to tighten band fiected from its normal position, the end ofshield 17 will be spaced from the nipple 18 as indicated by the dottedlines in Fig.- 4.

A washer of asbestos or other non-conducting material is insertedbetween shield 17 and member 15. 1

A. spiral spring 19 is attached at one end to drum 8 and at the otherend to the valve body and being under initial tension tends to maintainthe valve in the closed position shown in Fig. 2 with a lug 20 on theplug engaginga notch 21 on thebody. 22 represents a hole in the heatercasing to permit ,iac cess to the burner;

crank 11 so as to tighten band 9 on drum 8 v and hold the latter inposition. When this movement is accomplished the manual hold on thehandle may be released.

It will be 'noted that the above described movement brings shield 17 toa position where it no longer deflects the heat from nipture than thatnecessary to maintain its dis- I tortion; The non-conducting washerinter- .ru ts the transmission of heat thru the shield to the thermostatand further protects the latter. A

When the fiame is extinguished, the cooling thermostat-15 returns to itsnormal position releasing the grip of band 9 on drum 8.

SpringlQ immediately returns the valve to the closed position thusstopping the how of gas. When the burner is lit, the friction of band. 9on drum 8 will be suflicient to resist the action of'spring 19 butwill-not be great enough to interfere with easy adjust= ment'of thevalve opening by any person desiring to regulate the burner. This is dueto the fact that after initial movement of the thermostatic member,variations in its position .do not aflect the frictional grip of band 9because of the character of the connection between member 15 and spring13. The thermostat has no effect upon the holding deviceexce'ptwhen theformer is very near the position shown in full lines in 1.

ed to frictiona This feature has the further advantages of preventingbinding of the parts involved or any undue strain onsame which exists inthose devices which continued movement of a thermostatic member isaccompanied by Increased friction or pressure by the member it controls.

'I claim v 1. In combination with a fuel burner, a valve, a thermostatcontrolling said valve and a shield adapted to concentrate the heat ofsaid burner on said thermostat until the latter is heated and then tomove with said thermostat to a position where said thermostat will beheated by radiation only.

2. In combination'with a fuel burner, a thermostatic member spaced fromthe burner flame, a shield integral with said member and adapted tooverspan the space between said member and said flame when said memberis cool so as to deflect the heat from said flame to said member, but toreach short of said flame when said member is heat. i

3. In an automatic safety valve for fuel burners, a valve plug, a bandencircling said plug and thermostatically controlled means adapted totighten said band upon said plug when the fuel supplied by said valve isburning.

4. In a safet 1 valve for fuel burners, a valve plug, a rum operatingtherewith, a bandencirclin said drum and means adaptfiy engage or todisengage said band and said drum.

5. In a safety valve for fuel burners, a valve plug, a drum operatingtherewith, a band encircling said drum and thermostatically controlledmeans adapted to friction-' ally engage or to disengage said band andsaid drum.

6. An automatic safety device for fuel burnerscomprising a valve, 9.spring adapted to maintain said valve in closed position, a band aboutsaid valve, a thermostatic strip adapted to be heated by-the burner,supplied thru said valve, means for tightening said band about saidvalve and a connectionbetween said means and said strip wherebysaidstrip ,normally holds said means in an inoperative position but whenheated permits said means to operate to prevent said spring fromfunctioning as described.

7. In combination with a burner, a supply valve for controlling thedelivery of fuel to said burner, means for yieldingly holding the valveclosed, an element for frictionally engaging the valve and holding it inset open positions, a spring tending to hold said element in engagementwith said valve,

and a thermostatic element responsive to distorted by 8. In combinationwith a burner, e valve for,

eqmiellin the delivery of fuel thereto, means for centre iin theepereeion of said valve. thermostatic e ement responsive to heatgenerated by the burner, for controlling the opemtion of said means, anda, deflectei' moveble with izhe element'ffor decreasing the direet heatdelivered to the element when the element mevw in i'esponseto increasingheat.

9. In cembinetien with a burner, a valve for eentreiling the delivery offuel thereto, meens fer controlling the eperetion ef the heat valve, athermestatic element responsive to aerated by the burner, andcontrolling t 0 operation of said means, and a deilector for directingheat from the burner to said element and movable in response toincreasing heat-to reduce the amount of heat so directed.

In testimen whereof, have hereimte subscribed my and this 193; day ofSeptember, eis.

RGBERT E. NEWELL.

